


The unplanned blind date

by sensenmann



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Post-Credits Scene, Blind Date, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Eventual Happy Ending, First Date, IronStrange, M/M, Matchmaking, No character bashing, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Feels, awesome facial hair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-05-14 13:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14770679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensenmann/pseuds/sensenmann
Summary: This work was written for Schreifalters writing contest on Animexx. Translated from German into EnglishTony Stark has a hard time getting over his break-up with Pepper Potts. Peter worries a lot about Tony and devises an ingenious plan to make the engineer happy again. A plan Doctor Stephen Strange finds himself involuntarily involved in.





	1. Part one

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written for Schreifalters writing contest on Animexx.  
> I did translated it from German into English. I want to apologize in advance for any grammar or spelling mistakes! /)^(\

Satisfied with himself and the rest of the world, Stephen Strange sat back and made himself comfortable in one of the leather chairs in the large library of the Sanctum Sanctorum.

For the time being, Earth was probably calm about attacks by megalomaniac aliens. It had taken the former surgeon enormous willpower and energy to visit various futures with the help of the time in order to find the one in which they won the battle against the titan. More than fourteen million times Stephen was forced to set the time loop of his Infinity Stone back to zero, but in the end it was worth his efforts and his plan had worked out. Here and now, in this reality, Thanos had never come into the possession of all six Infinity Stones and would never be able to do so again. 

Unconsciously, Stephen touched the place on his chest where Agamotto's eye had hung around his neck for months. With his help the Infinity Stones had been irrevocably destroyed once and for all The former doctor knew that this had been the only right thing to do, the only chance to avert their fate. And yet he always found himself thinking back to their fight. 

The book he had borrowed from Wong was still lying unperturbed on his lap as he heard someone climbing up the stairs into the library. "Stephen?" asked the other wizard in his usual calm tone. The person addressed looked up from his book. "Yes?" 

"You have visitors," Wong announced and smiled as he stepped aside to reveal a young, lanky man with dishevelled brown hair and an open, friendly expression on his face.  
"Uh... uh... hi, Dr Strange." Peter Parker waved timidly at him, while Wong turned to leave them alone. 

Strange looked at the brown-haired man. For a change, Peter hadn't shown up in his Spiderman uniform. Instead, he wore normal clothes. A blue jeans, a shirt with the inscription "I ♥ π“" and a beige backpack that he had casually swung over his right shoulder. Did he come straight from school?

"Peter? To what do I owe the honour," he greeted the boy, closed his book and put it aside before he got up from his chair.

Now Stephens cape must have got wind of the unannounced visitor and floated straight out of the next room to greet the newcomer. Stephen rolled his eyes as the cloak came to a halt in front of Peter, waving his hem at him. This thing really became more and more affectionate.

"Oh, hi!", the boy greeted back with a big smile and waved to the cape. Stephen was forced not to smile at the sight of him. Somehow he had grown fond of the boy. He was a nice, sincere and extremely obliging person for his age group. Interested, with a quick grasp and a strong sense of justice. He could understand why Stark got so attached to him.

In their reality, Stephen knew him for little more than a few weeks. But in the time loop he had woven in the fight against Thanos, he had had had enough time to get to know and to like the boy. Even though he had assured Stark then that he would not hesitate to sacrifice him and the boy for the good of the timestone, he had been feverishly searching for a way in which both would eventually survive. 

The doctor had to watch the boy and Stark die again and again in, different scenarios. Sometimes Stark threw himself in front of the boy to protect him, sometimes the other way around. Sometimes Thanos killed both with his own hand, then they both crumbled to dust forever.... Only in the last vision of the future, which the stone had revealed to him, it had been possible for them to win against the Titan without having to accept permanent and great losses. 

Although Strange had paved the way for Tony Stark in order to save their universe, by sacrificing the timestone, he still felt a little guilty. Especially towards the teenager. He would have liked to have spared him a brief death, but in the end this detail too was decisive for their victory, for the fact that it made Stark highly motivated. Enough to stand up to the Titan. 

"Peter?" he drew the brunette's attention, after said teenager watched the cape, still full of fascination. 

"Oh. Sorry!" The other apologized immediately and shrugged slightly before turning back to Stephen. "I wanted to ask you a for a favor."

"A favor?"

"Well... yes…," he hemed and hawed and stroked his hair again. A gesture that the boy always made when he was nervous, as Strange now knew. "But only if it isn't too much to ask and if you have time," he added, mumbling and looked aside in shame.

"What kind of favor are we talking about here?"

"Well, I... I do know someone."

Strange questioningly raised his brows. "You do know someone...?" he rephrased, making an inviting gesture that should mean to the younger one to continue talking. Did he have to pull every word out of the boy's mouth?

"Yes, exactly... someone I care about very much."

the moment Peter said those words, the doctor started to listen more attentively. For a brief moment, he vaguely feared that this conversation could lead to some kind of sex education talk. Stephen hoped that it was anything but that.

"Someone from my... family, so to speak."

The wizard exhaled relieved. So no sex education after all. Then, however, the wheels in his brain began to rattle. Someone from Peter's family? Stephen knew that the only family member Peter has left was his aunt May. Stephen frowned slightly. Was his aunt sick?

The cape patted Peter's shoulder timidly with its' collar and urged him to sit in the seat Stephen had been sitting in just a few minutes ago. "Oh, thank you. That's really nice," Peter thanked the cape, who then patted his shoulder once more and then turned his collar tips in Stephen's direction.

Stephen sighed internally. Now he's being blamed by a cape. "And how can I help you?", he tried to sound sensitive, but not without giving the red stuff a warning look.  
"Well... how shall I put it... I think this person feels a little lonely, but I don't necessarily want to admit it, you know? The person has recently lost a very important person and... and since then they somehow hide themselves away...?"

Stephen nodded and felt confirmed in his suspicion that Peter was talking about his aunt. He knew that she devotedly took care of her nephew, since he had lost both parents and she her sister. Such a loss could be very formative for a person, as Stephen had had to experience on his own. It was also obvious for him that she put all her energy into caring for the boy and put her own needs first. Probably Peter had only noticed this now and therefore wanted to hear his advice. As careful as the boy was, he probably hadn't wanted to go to Stark with this worry. A few days ago Stephen had read in the papers about Starks’ separation from Pepper Potts.

"And you want to help this person get out of this hole again?"

"Exactly! "I just sort of tried everything... but nothing has helped so far."

Stephen nodded and let him continue.

"A friend of mine said that it might be good to get the person back in the game, getting them to meet other people..."

"That would at least have a positive effect on the social component," Stephen stepped in. "It can help patients with depressive tendencies. Studies have shown that a stable social environment can reduce stress on the psyche".

"You think so, too?"

"I'm no psychologist, but some social, private contacts have never hurt anyone, Peter. Maybe you can persuade the person to meet some old friends for now? A little change of scenery, so to speak." 

Peter blinked at him briefly and tried to understand what he had said. Then, all of a sudden, a smile spread on the teenager's face. "That's a good idea, Mr Strange!"

Stephen, on the other hand, wrinkled his forehead slightly. Wasn't Peter aware that this was his own idea? "Well, that settles that." With difficulty the magician denied a pointed remark, which he would have thrown at each other without hesitation, but Peter just gave him such a sincere and grateful smile that he could not bring it over himself to hurt his feelings. 

"Well... not quite."

At that Stephen raised an eyebrow, wondering. "Not quite?"

"Well... the person doesn't really have that many friends... and I thought that you...", Peter began to beat around the bush again and turned his gaze aside, now obviously embarrassed. The boy briefly closed his eyes, wondering how best to choose the next words. After a few seconds he looked back at Strange and raised his hands in a soothing position. "Please don't get me wrong. I know you're busy, but I thought that…maybe you could...?"

"Maybe I could what...?", Stephen repeated, after the boy had left the sentence unfinished and urged him to continue talking with an impatient movement of his hand.

"That you might... That you could meet this someone?" At these words Peter slipped forward with in his seat and looked at Strange, his eyes full of hope. "Tomorrow, to be exact?  
Please?"  
Surprised and admittedly slightly startled, the doctor blinked. He hadn't expected that. "Oh."

"Oh?" Peter repeated, his gaze no longer so hopeful.

"You want me to meet this person tomorrow night?" 

The boy nodded eagerly.

"No way," Strange replied promptly and grabbed the book from the little side table again, with the aim of ending the conversation here and now.

"Oh, come on, Doc! Peter had disappeared from his chair at lightning speed and blocked the elderly man's way. "Please! Just one night? Please, please?" Peter laid his hands together begging and held them with his thumbs to his face, looking out of his big, sad eyes at Strange. "I really can't think of another person who's better suited for this!"

"And why would I be the one to do it?"

"Because you're lonely, too?"

Stephen snorted contemptuously. "I'm not lonely!" 

The cloak slowly floated over to the couple and soothedly lifted both its’ hem tips towards Stephen in order to calm him down. Then it stretched out one of the corners to stroke his cheek, but the magician fended the piece of cloth off with a wagging movement of his hand. "Stop that!" 

Insulted and hurt by Stephen's reaction, the cape retreated and snarled with its’ collar before it hovered over to Peter and - to Stephen's displeasure - lay around his shoulders. Stephen moaned in annoyance. "Oh, great! Now you are siding with him?", the magician said a little harshly and stared at the red piece of fabric, which, under his strict gaze, wrapped itself even tighter around the younger man's shoulders.

"Are you sure...? I've never seen anyone here but you and your cape..."

"I've got Wong."

"Apart from Mr Wong?"

"Your concern for my person in all respects, but I don't need company."

"You know, that's exactly what the person said...", Peter mumbled hardly audibly and resignedly lowered his shoulders. He seemed visibly disappointed. Stephen wanted to go further, but now he felt somehow responsible for the fact that the boy now seemed so upset. He sighed in the face of the sad apparition that the usually so cheerful boy now gave. Stephen ran his fingers over the bridge of his nose and tried to calm himself down. In his misery Peter had come to him. To ask for his help. But now Stephen got the feeling that he had made everything even worse.

"All right," Stephen relented after a while. "I'll help you."

"Really? You'd even want to meet the person?"

Stephen knew that he couldn't get out of that number now. After all, it was only one evening they were talking about here. If Peter's aunt was even slightly like her nephew, it might not even end in a complete disaster. "Yes."

"Oh great!", Peter cheered triumphantly and ran towards the other man without warning to hug him. "Thank you! Thanks, thanks, Doc! You won't regret this, I promise!"

Stephen was literally taken by surprise by the stormy embrace and had trouble keeping his balance. He sighed but reciprocated the hug a little hesitantly. He wondered how Stark could handle this boy.

When the boy separated from him, the cape took the opportunity to glide off his shoulders and back onto Stephen's again. Stephen threw the artifact an extremely skeptical look over his shoulder. Apparently, the cape seemed happy with his reaction this time. Stubborn thing.

Peter was still busy with his acceptance speech. "Oh, I'm sure you won't regret this date, Dr Strange! I'll take care of everything! I will write you when and where you should come to tomorrow", the boy assured him with a big smile, to which nobody could have said no, and already hurried towards the stairs. "I know you'll like him, Doc!"

Stephen watched him for a moment until the meaning of Peter's last sentence was leaked into his consciousness. He blinked. Did the boy just say “him”? 

 

…

The next evening Stephen had exchanged his wizard's robe for civilian clothes, although he had not wanted to leave the house without his cape. Now, disguised as a light, red transition jacket, said cloak nestled close to his upper body. The cape must have felt his momentary discomfort. Stephen sighed at the mess Peter Parker had just gotten him into and nodded his farewell to Wong before stepping through one of his portals and reappearing in the hallway in front of the restaurant.

The boy had been kind enough to give him the address and time that same evening, but Stephen hadn't got much smarter since then. He didn't even know who he was going to see. 

Of course, deep in his subconsciousness he did know that Peter was not entirely wrong with his assumption: In a certain way Stephen did feel lonely. He would never have admitted it, but there was something true about Peter’s words. In his heyday, as one of the best neurosurgeons in the state, he had always been surrounded by people who adored and admired him and wanted to be like him. Before his car accident, the turning point in his life, he had been socially strongly involved, fundraisers here, congresses there... And now, as a master of the Sanctum Sanctorum, these times were finally over. The only company he had were Wong and his beloved cape of levitation, occasionally also Peter Parker, who literally swung by now and then. 

Stephen shook off this thought and finally gave himself a jolt. He pulled the Sling-ring off his fingers and put it in one of the jacket pockets. Then he stepped into the manageable and rather rustically furnished guest room and took a moment to look around. For a Saturday evening the number of guests was quite manageable. There were hardly any free tables any more, only at the window there was still a small table for two persons available. Stephen did not hesitate and approached it with calm steps.

"Strange?" 

At the sound of his name, the magician paused in his movement. He blinked. That voice sounded strangely familiar. He turned his head a little to the left, let his gaze wander briefly over the guests at the tables. He was amazed when his eyes finally found what he had been looking for. "Strong?"

The engineer just sat a row away, set for two at a small table. Judging by the facial expressions of the other person, he seemed as surprised to see him here as he did himself. Stephen looked him up and down briefly. Stark wore the same clothes, including sunglasses, as that time in Central Park. Stephen made the vague assumption that the sports jacket and trousers played a not so unimportant role in connection with his battle dress. A precaution, which the doctor could understand only too well. He never goes out without his cape as well. 

Stark took off his glasses as Stephen approached his table. "Is Hogwarts closed today, or where else did you leave your magic uniform?" 

Stephen shook his head slightly, whether this remark. Typic Stark, he thought. Always a remark on his lips. "Today is a laundry day for once," he replied dryly, whereupon he got a broad grin from the smaller one. 

"I thought no electrical equipment was allowed at Hogwarts?" 

"We do have house-elves."

"Really?" On the basis of Tony's facial expression he could see that the other seriously wondered whether there really was something like a house-elf in the Sanctum Sanctorum.

"No. Of course not." 

"Oh.... Too bad... I could really use one," the brunette replied and actually sounded a little disappointed. "Well? What drew you out of the sacred walls of your magic temple today? I thought you were only allowed to leave it in at times of an emergency?"

"Wong is perfectly capable of protecting the Sanctum Sanctorum in my absence," Stephen replied calmly. If he hadn't thought Wong could do this, he wouldn't have left the Sanctum for a second. However, he knew about the knowledge and skill of the other wizard and put his full trust in his friend. Apart from that, he didn't think they would have to fear another attack by aliens so quickly. After all, the Infinity stones had been destroyed and the balance between the worlds in their universe had been restored. "And besides, every once in a while, even I have to leave in order to go out for dinner."

Stark raised an eyebrow at that. "Alone?", he asked and bent a little to the side to see past the taller man, checking whether or not he was with company. 

"I'm waiting for someone. Just like you, I guess," Stephen countered and pointed with a movement of his head to the two set places at Stark's table.

"Oh... Yeah... I'm waiting for someone too. Actually."

"Actually?"

His shoulders twitched a lot. "Yes... I let myself be talked into something... A blind date, you know? You can never be sure if your partner will come."

Stephen raised his brows, hardly noticeable. The fact that Stark was here on a date shouldn't have surprised him. After all, the tabloids had reported nothing else for days than the separation from Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Since Stephen was generally overwhelmed with more emotional situations in which his empathy was demanded, he decided not to put his foot in it in the first place. Instead, he sensed the opportunity to end the conversation. 

"Well then, I don't want to disturb you any further...", he said and raised his hand in order to bid the other man goodbye, when his brain suddenly put two and two together. He stopped abruptly in his movement. Did Tony just say he was waiting for a blind date someone had talked him into? 

Suddenly, Stephen felt a bad premonition about this.

"Doc? Is everything all right?", asked Stark, as the Doctor didn’t move.

Maybe, Stephen hoped at least, it was all just a big misunderstanding? A strange coincidence? But as Stephen knew his luck, he certainly wasn't granted that. He “I know you're gonna like him, Doc!” If Peter didn't want to set him up with his aunt but claimed that the person he was worried about belonged to his family, there wouldn't be many options left. Oh, mercy on the boy next time I get my hands on him!, Stephen cursed the boy inside and turned his attention back to the billionaire who now looked at him anxiously.

"Is something wrong? Please don't tell me your lightning scar is hurting and that we are mere seconds away from the next alien invasion. I've really had enough of that for the time being."

Stephen ignored the not very original allusion to Harry Potter and came straight to the point instead. "... your boy, Peter Parker..."

"What about him?"

"Has he anything to do with that blind date you were just talking about?"

Tony blinked perplexed and tilted his head. "Eh... Yeah? He and Rhodey talked me into..." Tony suddenly stopped talking and now looked questioningly at the wizard. "Wait... How do you even know that? Have you recently learned to read other people's minds? Because... that may be the latest thing in vampire movies but be creepy in real life."

Stephen sighed and started to curse the boy in his thoughts. Without responding to remark, he slowly pealed himself out of the jacket into which his cape had formed, threw it in a fluid movement over the backrest of the free chair and then sat down opposite the engineer before reaching out his hand in form of a greeting.

"Hello, my name is Doctor Stephen Strange and it looks like I'm your date for the rest of tonight."


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this far! And your all the kudos and comments!  
> I want to apologize for any spelling or grammar error. I am not a native speaker /)^(\  
> I hope you are going to enjoy the second chapter!  
> Tell me what you think about it :)  
>  
> 
> \--------------------------

"I'm sorry, but can you say that again," said Tony Stark, shocked after looking at the wizard in front of him for a few seconds with a very questioning look. "I think I misheard."

Stephen fully understood the other man's reaction. He could hardly believe his own words, but there was definitely no other explanation. Peter Parker had sent him on a blind date with his foster father - and Stephen had absolutely not seen it coming. Now it was also clear to him why Peter had always vehemently spoken of a person and never called him their name... 

"No, you heard quite right," he assured the inventor and took a deep breath to repeat his previous words. "I'm your date for tonight."

As Stephen spoke, Tony gave him a look that resembled a deer staring into the spotlight of an approaching vehicle. Tony's large, brown eyes made it easy for him to understand his thought processes. Stephen could make out exactly the moment when the engineer put two and two together and realized what Parker had done. Then, all of a sudden and completely unexpected for the magician, Tony burst out laughing. 

Some of the other guests felt disturbed by the laughter and turned around to find out the cause of the noise. Stephen was annoyed and bit his lips. Unlike the billionaire, he didn't find the situation funny at all, but he forced himself to stay calm. 

Tony thankfully calmed himself again relatively quickly and wiped the tears of laughter out of his eyes. "Sorry," he started and looked at Stephen, still struggling with a grin. "But I can't believe Peter tried to set me up with you of all people."

Stephen curled his lips sourly at these words. Admittedly, he hadn't expected the little boy to set him up with Tony Stark, but the inventor's obviously disparaging reaction was offensive. "I know I certainly wasn't the person you were expecting, but...", he started, but then thought of something better. No talk would make things any better. Stephen shook his head and slid back his chair to put an end to this farce - and to preserve the last bit of dignity he had left. "Never mind. That was a crazy idea anyway." 

But before he could get up, Tony reached out for him. "Oh, no, wait! That came out wrong! That's not what I meant," he apologized. 

The doctor raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he complied with the other man's wishes and remained - for the time being - seated in his chair. 

After Stephen did not make any more arrangements to leave, the other man withdrew his hand relieved and tried to explain himself. "It's just that when Peter sort of talked me into this idea, he made it sound like I should meet someone from his family," he said. "Have you ever seen his puppy eyes? It's almost impossible to say no to him."

Stephen didn't answer, but he knew the look Tony was talking about well enough by now. 

"Well... Anyway, he told me that the person would be tall, dark-haired and handsome. Not that you aren't," the engineer continued, raising his hands in an appeasing gesture before Stephen could say anything. "Really... But I was thinking of...well..." Tony made a freaking move with his hand and left the sentence unfinished.

"His aunt?" Stephen replied. 

"Yes! How did you..." Tony replied and when he looked into the magician's face, his question seemed unnecessary. "Oh, God, you fell for that, too? The boy is really good."

Yes. He is, the doctor agreed.

For a while neither of them said anything. Stephen wouldn't have thought of anything he could have said about it at all. That's why he was secretly grateful when Tony put his own thoughts into words. "Okay... This is kind of embarrassing."

"You don't say..." Embarrassing, Stephen thought, described the situation really well at the moment. Stephen had never found himself in such a scenario in his whole life. Neither in his youth, nor at University or at work. 

"And kind of weird..."

"Weird?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Peter's idea", he pointed alternately from himself to Stephen. "That you and I..."

"Oh... yeah. Of course," Stephen agreed. 

"Ridiculous."

"Totally." 

Once more, an unpleasant pause occurred for a moment, in which Stephen asked himself once more whether it was really a good idea to make a good face for evil play or whether he should have rather disappeared when he had noticed Peter's trick. 

On the other hand, he had promised the boy to go on this date.... he also had not had the impression that Peter had lied about his concerns for “this certain person”. No. The concern for his mentor had obviously worried the teenager. I have tried everything, but nothing has helped so far, he recalled the boy's exact words. 

Although Stephen falsely assumed that Peter was talking about his aunt May, this did not change anything about the problem itself. Peter was worried that his mentor isolating himself. A behavior which even in his eyes was extremely atypical for the otherwise so sociable leader of the Avengers. On the other hand... did he even know enough about Tony Stark to judge about something like that? 

If he was being honest, he knew his new comrades-in-arms, apart from Peter Parker, all but fleetingly. Most of them he had only seen for a short time when he had destroyed the Infinity stones once and for all with Loki and Wanda's help. But even on this occasion, as an outsider, he had noticed that the team seemed disrupted. The Avengers as a team no longer existed. 

The person does not necessarily have as many friends at the moment, Peter's words echoed in his thoughts. Darkly Stephen remembered what the engineer had mentioned to Doctor Banner a few weeks ago in the Sanctum. The Avengers split two years ago, due to a dispute between Iron Man and Captain America. Stephen had not attached much importance to the remark at that time. But now the boy's words started to make sense. 

Tony Stark obviously wasn't well. Just as a doctor he felt obliged to make a more precise picture of Tony's situation. 

Stephen was rudely torn from his thoughts when suddenly a waitress stepped up to their table with a small serving trolley and served them a plate of gnocci and a mixed side salad. Stephen exchanged a brief look with Tony, who seemed at least as surprised by the action as he was.

"Excuse me, but we didn't order anything?", Tony turned to the waitress, who was about to serve them some wine.

The waitress, a young blonde woman, put the half-empty bottle on the table before answering the question. "Oh, don't worry, Sir. The food was paid for in advance with a very generous tip."

Tony frowned . "...By whom?"

The waitress smiled and looked meaningful from Tony to Stephen. "From a very charming young man. He wanted to make sure you didn't have anything to worry about." She wished them a good appetite and then disappeared back to the kitchen. The two watched her for a moment in complete disbelief and then exchanged a rather surprised look. 

After a while Tony shrugged his shoulders in resignation. "Looks like Peter actually took care of everything," he said, reaching for his fork before turning back to the wizard. "You were planning on having dinner here anyway. Didn’t you?"

"I certainly won't say no to a free meal," Stephen replied and did the same, grabbing at the fork. Secretly glad that Peter had at least ordered something that he - because of his hands - would be able to eat without great problems. 

"Isn't there a kitchen in Oz?" Tony asked and looked at Stephen as he was about to impale some gnocci with his fork.

"We do have a kitchen. But food turns out to be expensive when most of the masters and disciples have sworn off material values," Stephen replied truthfully, while trying to keep his hand as still as possible in order to pick up the potato balls in a targeted manner. The standard of living in the Sanctum was limited to the bare essentials. Pampered by his luxurious lifestyle, Stephen himself had long needed to adapt. There was no such thing as luxury in the temples.

"I always thought wizards could magic anything out of a hat," Tony objected after swallowing a bite. To Stephen's surprise, he actually sounded interested. 

The larger one shook his head while spearing a leaf of his salad with a fork. "That would make things easier, but food can't be magically conjured up from nowhere," he explained. "Gamp's Law of Transfiguration."

"And then how do you arrange? You can't live on air and love."

"In Kamar Taj, our temple for training, we grow our own fruit and vegetables. Because as you can imagine, our financial resources are limited."

"Wow.", Tony said. "So there are more than just one of these magic schools?"

Stephen sighed, "They are temples. No schools."

Tony smiled. "But you do teach how to make those orange sparks that come out of your hands, don't you?"

"…“ 

Stephen didn't answer, but stared at the engineer. He bit his lip. Annoyed that Tony was right.

The grin of the other became wider when Stephen said nothing in return. "Well?" he asked amusedly. "How many schools are there?"

"There are four great temples," Stephen explained, emphasizing the last word. "At the Kamar Taj we train new candidates for the mystical powers and teach them how to use magic - the orange sparks, as you call them. The other three temples, the Sanctum, London and Hong Kong, essentially serve to maintain the balance of power, protect artifacts and knowledge from third parties and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands".

"And what criteria do you use to select these candidates? Is there some kind of ceremony, or...?" Tony made a freaking move with the fork and looked at the doctor waiting. 

He took a sip of the wine the waitress had poured you before he answered. "We don't choose them. "They come to us on their own when they don't see any other option."

"And why did you join this order?" 

Stephen wanted to turn the glass off again, but paused in his movement in the face of this question. He didn't know if Tony meant the question seriously or just wanted to be polite. After all, Stephen had made a name for himself in neurosurgery. His car accident had graced the front pages of some magazines at the time. He was pretty sure that Stark had read about his fate or at least googled it after their first meeting.

"For someone who doesn't want to deal with magic, you do ask a lot of questions," he replied, looking at Stark. 

Tony gave him a short smile before he shoved a couple of goccis in his mouth. "I thought, since Peter apparently plans our wedding, it would be appropriate to know a little more about you," he explained after he had swallowed and already sunk the fork into his remaining Gnocci. "Well?" 

Stephen snorted in amusement. The billionaire accepted the whole situation calmly, as if it wasn't unusual for him to end up in something like this. Stephen decided to follow his example and make the best of it. "After my car accident, I was hoping to find a cure for the nerves in my hands."

He couldn't escape the sight of Tony glancing at his hands at these words. Stephen involuntarily cramped them, when he noticed the look. But the slight trembling in his fingers did not stop. It never stops, Stephen thought, sarcastic.

"Oh."

The trembling of his hands had not escaped the inventor either. Tony finally turned his gaze away from Stephen's hands. In his facial expression there was something like understanding, just as if Stark really understood what he had lost through this accident. 

"Do you miss your old life?" Tony asked after a while, the otherwise so playful tone disappeared from his voice, instead he sounded compassionate and understanding.

Stephen looked at him for a moment and pondered. The question did not come as a surprise to him. He recalled that Stark had been through similar things a few years ago. "You learn to arrange, as you know for sure yourself," he finally replied, pointing at himself with one hand to his chest, above the spot where Tony's Arc reactor was.

"Why did you decide to use an Arc reactor again?", Stephen asked, on the one hand, glad to have an opportunity to divert the conversation away from him, on the other hand, really interested. "I read the report about the removal of the shrapnel."

Tony blinked, obviously taken by surprise by the change of topic. Then, for a moment, a depressed expression laid in his eyes. Unconsciously, the engineer lowered the fork and clasped his left hand with his right. A gesture that involuntarily reminded Stephen of a post-traumatic stress reaction and showed the doctor that he had apparently touched on a topic that was weighing on the engineer.

Great, he thought sarcastically and scolded himself for not thinking about that. The reactor in Tony's chest was a result of his abduction in Afghanistan. It was therefore not at all surprising that the engineer was burdened by the memory of this. 

"I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Stephen relented as soon as he noticed his mistake. 

Tony shook his head. "No, no. It's all right. It's just a little fresh, you know?", he said."Do you know how an electromagnet works?"

"Yes." 

Tony nodded. "The reactor originally served as the energy source for the electromagnet in my chest. He kept the shrapnel away from my heart, but I had to increase the power of the reactor accordingly for my Iron Man suit..."

"Palladium poisoning.", Stephen interrupted him without any problem following his thoughts. He had also read about this in the report. "Is that why you invented the new element?"

"Exactly. A few years later, the medicine was finally ready for me to have the shards removed without having to run around with a permanent hole in my chest or fearing that I someone would rip my Arc reactor out of my chest.”

Stephen nodded. He had followed the research reports on Extremis for a while. From a medical point of view, this project was remarkable and frightening to the same extent. 

"I assume they've evolved Extremis," Stephen said, looking at the spot on Tony's chest where a light blue light shone through. Something else made no sense in his eyes. Why else would stark have a reactor put back in his chest if he didn't take advantage of it?

"Exactly. I was able to convert Extremis so that, in combination with my nanotechnology, I can activate my suit at any time, from one second to the next. Extremis' mode of action ensures that the armor repairs itself immediately in the event of damage. The suit is therefore fully functional at all times. However, Extremis needs an almost infinite energy source for regeneration." Tony tapped at the reactor. 

Stephen had seen on Titan himself what Tony was capable of thanks, to his suit. If he hadn't seen with his own eyes how the armor had reassembled itself over and over again, he wouldn't have thought it possible. Tony's technical progress was remarkable. 

"Remarkable.", Stephen admitted after a while. 

"Yes. But everything has its price, doesn't it?", Tony said sadly.

Stephen didn't take long to figure out what Tony meant, he had already heard from the newspapers about the separation with his secretary. Stephen didn't give much of a gossip, but if you did believe the headlines, Tony's double life as Iron Man was one reason for the break between him and Pepper Potts.

"I'm sorry about your engagement."

"You don't have to be. I'm not entirely innocent myself," said Tony."... well... Things between Pepper and I have always been a complicated. We've always had our differences. I actually thought that I could pull myself together, that maybe we could manage it somehow, but after what happened with Thanos... and this." Tony tapped the arc reactor again. "I guess they were just too big..."

Stephen listened carefully. He understood Tony's dilemma all too well, having been through similar situations with Christine Palmer, his former colleague from Metro General Hospital. However, looking back, the magician had never been so serious about her that he would have thought of proposing to her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure you didn't want to hear this."

"No, it's all right." Stephen replied. "What did you say before? If your boy is planning our wedding then it seems appropriate to learn a little more about each other."

Tony smiled at Stephen's remark, then tilted his head slightly as if he had just thought of something. "Hey, how exactly did Peter talk you into this?"

"He came to the Sanctum yesterday afternoon. He seemed rushed and asked wanted to ask me for medical advice."

"Medical advice?" Tony repeated, obviously worried this time. The engineer bent hardly noticeably forward. "Is he sick?"

"No. Don't worry. He's all right." At these words, Stephen could literally see the tension disappearing from Tony's body and the inventor leaning back into the chair. "I thought it was his aunt at first, but apparently he's much more worried about you."

Tony blinked irritated. "About me?"

Stephen stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious? The boy had staged all this and Stark wondered how he came to the conclusion that the teenager was worried about him? Tony may have been one of the brightest minds in the country, but sometimes the man just seemed blind. Stephen would have liked to have thrown exactly these words at his head, but he decided to go for the more diplomatic option. 

"I don't know if you're aware, but Peter sees you as some kind of father figure."

The other man seemed a little perplexed after what had been said. He looked hrown off course for a moment. Stephen guessed that Tony didn't expect that. 

"Do you really think so?" the engineer asked hesitantly, the otherwise so relaxed tone disappeared from his voice again. 

"Yes, definitely.", Stephen replied without hesitation, seriously wondering how the other man had overlooked something so obvious like that. "Tony, you'd have to how he speaks of you." He hadn't known Peter as long as Stark, but it didn't take much to realize how much the teenager looked up to him - just as if Tony Stark had personally created the moon and the stars. Even on planet Titan, Peter had always sought confirmation from Stark and had done everything he could to make him proud. Stephen had no doubt that Peter had also staged this evening in order to make Tony happy. Even though Stephen still didn't know why Peter had just asked HIM for help.

"He's a good boy," Tony said after a while and Stephen swore he saw a smile on Tony’s face.

"Yes, he is." he agreed.

 

\-----------------

 

Amazing, Stephen thought, after they stepped out of the restaurant, less than an hour later, into the fresh air. It had been a long time since he had been able to talk so freely to someone. Apart from the absurd situation into which Peter had maneuvered them in, they had gotten along well the rest of the evening. Maybe Peter was right and they really were more alike than he had first assumed.

"So? How are you getting home?" said Tony when they stepped on the paved sidewalk in front of the restaurant. "Are you Apparating or using an old shoe as a port key?"

Stephen grinned and slipped into his cape, which was still disguised as a jacket. Now that the sun was gone, it got a little chilly. Almost instantly, the soft fabric clung closer to his shape and gave him a familiar feeling of security. "Neither. I use my sling ring."

Tony, now also pulling the zipper of his jacket upwards, the sunglasses superfluously back on his nose bridge, frowned. "Your what?"

"My sling ring," Stephen repeated and pulled said ring out of his jacket pocket to show it to the other man.

Tony took the ring in one hand and lifted up his sunglasses with the hand in order to see better in the dim light. He let it slide back and forth between his fingers and looked at it closely. "This looks like a thing out of one of those gum machines."

The blunt remark was so surprising that Stephen couldn't help laughing. "I assure you that I did not get it from any gum machine," he explained. "Just like my cape, the sling ring is part of our artifact collection. It is part of the basic equipment of the training. Only in conjunction with the ring it is possible for us to open portals to other places."

"Anywhere?", hooked Tony and handed him the ring before he put his sunglasses back on his nose.

"As long as it's on Earth."

"How practical."

Stephen took the ring back and gently pulled it over the middle and ring fingers of his left hand. "So? What about you? Did you fly here in your Iron Man armor?"

"No. I was told that it only worries passersby when Iron Man flies around town for no reason," Tony replied, pointing one finger in the direction of the road. "My car's over there." 

Stephen looked in the direction Tony had just pointed - and was amazed when he saw the yellow sports car parked at the side of the road.

"An Audi R8 Spyder," said Stephen, fascinated and hastily closed the last few meters to Tony's car. "What engine variant is this?"

"A V10 Plus.", Stark replied a little surprised as he followed the taller one. "For living like a hermit crab, you know surprisingly much about cars, Doc."

Stephen was still busy admiring the car. Carefully and a little wistfully he ran his fingers over the paint. Apart from the squeaky yellow paint job, the model was great. Even without a canopy, it was streamlined to keep air resistance as low as possible while driving and, conversely, fuel consumption. "I had a few sports cars myself when I was a neurosurgeon," he explained and took a quick look over Stark's shoulder before turning back to the new car. To him, it felt like his last trip had been ages ago. He always loved the feeling of boundless freedom while driving. Something he's missed a lot since his accident. "My last one was a Lamborghini Huracán Coupé." 

Tony stepped beside him and watched him for a moment. Through the sunglasses it was impossible for Stephen to read his facial expressions. For a moment he thought that, in view of his enthusiasm for the sports car, he must have acted like a little child in front of the millionaire, but the other merely gave him the car keys. "The night is still young. Would you like to take a little joyride?"

"Excuse me?" Stephen thought he misheard.

"A joyride. With the car. The High Way is not too far," said Stark, shrugging his shoulders. "You can drive if you want. Just don't tell Rhodey, or I'll hear an even longer series of accusations next time."

Stephen glanced at the keys Tony still held out to him as if it wouldn't be a big deal to let someone drive a car worth several hundred swapping dollars. "The offer is very nice. But I'm afraid I can't drive with them," Stephen replied and held his hands up briefly.

Tony shrugged nonchalantly. "I've been told that being a co-pilot makes it even more fun. Besides, I was taught that it is proper for a gentleman to take home his date." Tony went to the passenger side and opened the door demonstratively. "Well? How about a little trip down the high way?"

Stephen was about to say something back when Tony's sunglasses suddenly flashed light blue.

"Boss?", the AI's mechanical voice sounded from a speaker on the glasses. "It's about Peter Parker, Sir."


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Three of their date :)
> 
> Please keep in mind that I AM NOT A NATIVE SPEAKER and that I have no beta-reader  
> Translated from German into English

Stephen Strange had anticipated many exits of his blind date, to which Peter Parker had persuaded him. But what he certainly did not expect was that he would find himself in the entrance hall of the Sanctorum. Together with his date and said teenager, who soaked from head to toe.

By the time the former doctor had finally figured out that the "ominous person" Peter was worried about was indeed not his aunt, but none other than his foster father, Strange had already prepared himself to make the best of a bad job in order to do the teen a favor. But to his surprise the date had turned out to be far less catastrophic than he had anticipated.

For the first time Stephen had realized that the engineer and him were similar in many ways. Both knew about their abilities and strengths, both were the best in their fields, both had lost everything at some point in their lives due to their arrogance and hit rock bottom. But none of them had given up but learned to accept their fate and make the most of what they had.

Stephen had to admit that it was nice and refreshing to be able to talk to someone who had had gone through similar situations. Someone who knew what it meant to be take responsibility for their actions. Yes, one could even say that he and Stark understood each other surprisingly well. So well, that the billionaire was about to invite him for a spin in his new sports car when Tony's AI suddenly spoke up.

"Do you have a death wish that you haven't told me about yet?!" Tony roared as Stephen descended the steps to the entrance hall. Faced with Tony's tone of voice, Stephen remained on his position on the stairs and took a look over the railing.

The engineer stood with his back to him. His posture seemed tense and he gesticulated with his hands to emphasize his words. The reason for Tony's nervous breakdown stood less than two meters in front of him and had his arms wrapped around himself, trying to bring some feeling back into his limbs by rubbing his hands up and down.

"N-No...?", Peter struggled to answer now. His teeth chattered slightly.

"Are you sure? Because drowning would be your third cross on the bingo card. In a row with `being crushed by a building´ and `Gone with the wind´," Tony replied irritated.

A few minutes ago F.R.I.D.A.Y., or whatever Stark called his program, had informed Tony and him that Peter was in a dicey situation and urgently needed help. Apparently, the teenager had fallen into the Hudson River, not far from their restaurant, in an unsuccessful attempt to arrest a purse thief. After the AI had given them Peter's exact location, Stephen quickly opened a portal to the shore of Riverside Park. But before one of them even had a chance to set foot through the opening, Stephen felt an abrupt jerk on his shoulders as his cape detached itself from him and shot straight through the portal to pull the boy out of the icy water.

The Master of the Sanctorium took a glimpse at the chimney where now a considerable puddle had formed on the floor. The Cloak of levitation was still busy squeezing the absorbed water out of its fibers by first folding itself lengthwise and then wringing itself out widthwise.

Stephen shook his head amusedly. The Cloak really had to have a weakness for the boy, if he even risked getting wet. Stephen knew from his own experience that the red artefact was anything but enthusiastic when it came to coming into contact with water - let alone having stains washed out. He made a mental note to look for an impregnating spell that he could weave into the fibers of the Cloak.

"What do you think I gave you the suit for, anyway? To make it look nice as a decoration in your wardrobe?" Tony continued angrily, putting his hands on his hips.

Stephen turned his attention back to his guests. He couldn't remember ever having experienced the billionaire so upset. Even at the few Avengers meetings that Stephen attended during the destruction of the Infinity Stones, Tony had always acted casual. But Peter's action seemed to have hit a sore spot.

"N-No! I-I just didn't t-think that I would n-need it t-today. I-I didn't want to b-bother you," Peter replied. His teeth were still chattering because of the cold. Even from his place on the stairs, Stephen could see how hard the teenager was shivering.

Tony sighed and rubbed his right hand over his eyes before turning back to Peter. "What were you even doing in the area at this time of the day?”

At this question Peter flinched and he began to stammer. "I-I... s-so..." Stephen knew the boy enough by now to know that stammering was a clear sign of Peter being nervous. It slowly dawned on him what Peter had actually been looking for in this area. As much as he agreed with Tony about Peters’ recklessness, he also sympathized with teenager. 

"I hate to disturb your father-son moment, but Peter needs to get out of his wet clothes before he gets a cold," he interrupted Tony’s’ lecture and went down the last few stairs. "Here," he said calmly, handing the bundle of fresh clothes he had taken from his room to Peter. "They'll probably be too big for you, but at least they're dry and warm."

"T-Thank you Mister D-Doctor," Peter stammered, obviously happy about his opportunity to flee the conversation. Peter grabbed the clothes and hurried up the stairs towards the bathroom, leaving behind a trail of small puddles.

Tony sighed in frustration as soon as Peter had disappeared from their field of vision. He brushed a hand through his hair and then let himself sink onto the sofa near the fireplace. "I swear... one day this boy will still be the reason for my heart attack," Tony said and then watched the Cloak, which was still trying to dry itself.

"Can't you just throw it in the dryer or something?" he asked after a while.

At these words the Cloak froze and paused in the middle of its his wringing-out movement. The Cloak slowly entangled itself and pointed his collar tips towards Tony. Then, without a warning, the red fabric made threw itself at Stephen, panically starting to shake its’ collar tips and thus sprinkling the doctor with water from the Hudson River.

"Uh! Stop it!" Stephen rebuked and did his best to push the cape far, far away from him. But the fabric took the opportunity and wrapped one of his hems around Stephen's arm. "Let go of me! You're wet!" Stephen tried to release his arm from the handle of the cape, but the artifact didn't even think about letting him go. "Fine! I won't put you in the dryer, I promise!

Only then did the Cloak let go off him, apparently reassured by Stephens’ promise. Then the artefact casted a - for a cloak - very reproachful look towards the sofa, on which Tony could not help laughing loudly at this spectacle.

At the Cloaks look Tony raised his hands in defense. "Hey, calm down! I'm laughing with you, not at you."

The cape waggled its’ collartips at the engineer, clearly not at all amused and floated towards the library.  
"I am starting to think that your flying carpet hates me.”

"No... It just has a big antipathy for dryers." And washing machines, Stephen added mentally. He still remembered the one time he had tried to put the cape in the washing machine. He sighed and wiped his wet arm on his shirt. Yes, he really needed to look for a water-repellent spell.

"How did your AI know Peter was in trouble when he wasn't wearing the suit," Stephen asked to fill the silence. 

"After Peter hacked the baby protocol I built into his suit, I installed F.R.I.D.A.Y. on his smartphone. It records his GPS position at regular intervals and sends it to me if there is a potential danger."

"For example, if his location is in the river," Stephen concluded.

"Exactly," Tony said. Helicopter Dad, Stephen thought and smiled slightly at that.

"It's just so... frustrating, you know? Just when I think the suit is absolutely bomb-proof for a sixteen-year-old teen, he finds a new way to give me grey hair," Tony said.

"I'm sure that wasn't his intention."

"I know. It's just... I can't bear it again. Watching him die"

He knew how Tony felt. He hadn't known Peter as long as Tony had, but he had to admit that he had also grown fond of the teenager. With his unspoilt and friendly nature, it did seem quite impossible to not like Peter. Moreover, Stephen knew that he was not completely innocent of the past events. After all, it was he who had put Tony through this. He had long searched for other options, for alternatives for their victory. But this had been the only chance they had had.

"I'm sorry I had to put you through this, Tony. But your pain over Peter's loss was the catalyst for our victory."

Tony said nothing, just nodded instead. After a while, he finally said, "I just don't understand why he leaves his suit at home when he's on patrol."

"Tony, I'm pretty sure Peter wasn't on patrol."

“He didn’t?", Tony watched the magician questioningly. 

Stephen shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Don't you think it's odd that he just happens to be near our restaurant when he lives on the other side of New York?

Tony frowned in view of this. It took him a moment to get what Stephen was implying. "He was spying on us," he concluded. "But why?"

Stephen raised an eyebrow at that. Had the engineer still not understood the main motive behind Peter's plan? It was quite obvious, though. "The date we went on was meant to cheer you up. I guess he wanted to make sure everything went smoothly," he explained. "He is worried about you.”

Tony blinked in surprise and seemed to ponder on Stephen’s words. Then, after a while, he got up. 

"Well, it worked."

Stephen then raised an eyebrow in question.

"The thing with the cheering up. It worked," Tony repeated.

Oh.... Oh! "It did?" Stephen asked in surprise.

Tony gave him a smile. "Well... To be honest: hat was by far the worst date I've ever been on - and I've been on many dates - and you're not Aunt May, but Peter hasn't lied, you know," Tony said. "So from one ten to the other ... you are tall, smart and it seems that we're on the same wavelength in terms of humor. Maybe we're more alike than we thought."

Stephen smirked at that, overacted crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I am at least a twelve. But keep talking."

"I also like your cheekbones."

"My cheekbones?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "Yes. Very striking. It really looks good in combination with the beard and the raised collar of your magic cape. Makes you look very ... mystical."

At that Stephen shook his head in amusement about this remark, curious what would come now. But he couldn't help but agree with the other man. It had been nice to get out once in a while. And it wasn't as if they hadn't had fun together... Maybe they really were on the same wavelength.

"Let me take you out to dinner," Tony finally said.

Stephen blinked, a bit surprised. "That's where we're coming from."

"No, not now," Tony admitted. "I thought much more about next Friday? I know a very good Greek restaurant, you know.”

"No," Stephen replied without hesitating.

"No?" Now it was Tony’s turn to look surprised. He let his shoulders sink. It was obvious that he hadn't expected his offer to be rejected.

"No", Stephen repeated and smirked - pleased that he had obviously amazed the other with his reaction. "I don't like Greek food. But there's a good Japanese close by who makes quite acceptable Dango."

 

In his place on the top step of the stairs, wrapped in dry clothes and outside of Tony and Stephen's field of vision, Peter couldn’t suppress a grin as he saw how a smile started to form on Tony's face. Maybe his plan hadn't gone as wrong as he had feared.


End file.
